The illegitimate child of the Yokai King
was saved by Silent Swordmaster in the form of a mother's care.
Cast out from the palace, unable to even dream of revenge,
his fleeting life had been destroyed by his own hands.
Determined to repay her kindness and understanding,
he resolved to help her in any way he could.

“Mother, what is your goal in participating in the arena?”

Silent Swordmaster pointed toward the palace.
Wherever she was heading,
if she had a goal there,
that place would be his destination as well.
There was no room for doubt in his blind determination.

“If you have a goal in the palace, then we must win. Understood. I’ll find a strong gladiator to help with that.”

The prince’s firm declaration
stirred up feelings of crisis and jealousy in the viewers,
and the chat began to heat up.

Mama’s Gladiator’s son (not son though)
Yokai King’s son (he's an illegitimate child)
Naughty Half-Yokai (Mama’s Half-Yokai)
No idea (Don’t care)
Today’s breakfast: Kimchi stew (no meat)
Didn’t ask (Did you add tofu?)
Just follow this (can’t follow)
Damn you all (Don’t derail the conversation)
Seriously cursing already, haha
We liked it first (reaction B tool)
Field Boss (The later it shows up, the longer the stream ends)
What are you doing? (Actually, not curious)
When’s your son’s wedding? (Actually know you can’t)
You couldn’t even do it, huh (You couldn’t do it either)
If Mama Gladiator is my mom, I’d marry her
You’re blind (in parentheses, really)
Mia Ping (Don’t even care)
Yeah, don’t care (Head of the Su-Gwi)
Of course, the lack of unity in the chat
ended, as always,
with the Su-Gwi self-destructive terror and internal discord
leading to its eventual collapse.

Mother.
Even now, it felt like an absurd request.
Had he come with a command or negotiation,
he would never have asked her to call him “mother.”
But he had asked as a “request.”
The request reminded him of
the one made by the human landlord’s friend,
and he couldn’t refuse.

Human landlord.
Illegitimate child of the Yokai King.

Though their desires and ways of exchanging emotions were different,
the half-Yokai’s thirst for human connection
and the sense of emotional deprivation
were the same, and she understood that.

That wasn’t the only reason.
She couldn’t fulfill the “request” made by the Emperor’s young son
from the martial world,
and the guilt lingering inside her refused to accept that the illegitimate child prince was not like the Crown Prince of the Grand Empire.

‘This won’t atone for the sins I’ve committed, though.’

In the end, by killing the Emperor,
the child who had never wanted to be emperor was forced into that role,
a horrible conclusion she had caused.
This was an undeniable fact.
So all of this was self-satisfaction.
A mere act of self-deception to soothe her heart.

“Prince... There was no promise to fight alongside a lowly human.”

In that sense,
the prince, starving for maternal affection and calling her “mother”
was far easier to handle than the slave gladiator,
who immediately showed hostility toward humans,
because at least this one,
wouldn’t make her heart ache with guilt,
as if her heart had been branded like a wound.

“….”

In the deep darkness of the open wardrobe,
a soft, viscous voice echoed from within.
Silent Swordmaster pointed her sword at it.
The dark energy from within the wardrobe began to surge,
like a bomb about to explode,
creating an intense, explosive atmosphere.

Kwang!
Her sword, swung like lightning,
struck the black hand reaching out from the wardrobe.

Silent Swordmaster deflected the sword?
Monster with no face > So strong
Tradition of the industry, haha
While the viewers reveled in the monster’s strength,
Ha Eun-eung sensed something wasn’t right.

‘What an extraordinary Yokai. Even the executioner of the Corpse Hill, a master of martial arts, couldn’t deflect my sword this perfectly.’

Since playing Banyogok,
it was the first time her attack had been so ineffective.
The executioner, with its steel skin,
always hiding in the shadows and waiting for the perfect moment to strike,
was nothing like this.
This monster’s arm was both incredibly long and had an unnaturally wide range of motion.

“Interesting. You’re not an ordinary human, are you?”

Though Ha Eun-eung readied her sword again,
the Yokai in the wardrobe did not charge again.

“The terror in the closet. A shapeless, lurking assailant. From now on, call me the Boogeyman.”

Just as Ha Eun-eung had acknowledged the Boogeyman,
the Boogeyman acknowledged her as well.
A normal human wouldn’t have been able to touch the Boogeyman,
whose ability to shift into a ghost-like form made physical attacks ineffective.
Even the Boogeyman’s powerful blows would not have landed on a normal person,
but Silent Swordmaster’s sword, infused with inner energy,
struck the intangible form with a very real “impact.”
The shockwave was so powerful
that it was impossible to believe it came from a human.
The Boogeyman had no choice but to acknowledge her.

“Wow, impressive, Miss. To be recognized by a Yokai known for its murderous hands, and to kill even its allies.”

At that moment,
an insidious, bearded man, dressed like a merchant in a green traditional outfit,
stepped forward with a grin on his face.

“I am just a mere Maganom. You may call me that. I inherited the surname of the great Maha-Mud from the great ancestor, though it’s far from my true worth.”
“A cowardly human with only one skill. I did not acknowledge you.”
“Does it matter? The prince himself said my role was only to guide one match to a draw. Please, do not take offense.”

Unlike a typical Yokai,
the Boogeyman seemed to have a different temperament.
If this was the kind of human he could endure,
Maganom, too, could undoubtedly contribute.

Yokai gladiators and human gladiators,
the sound of heavy footsteps echoed as
a towering, foul-smelling figure appeared,
standing over 3 meters tall,
with hooves and antlers like some monstrous creature between a beast and a human.

“An incomplete Yokai, a Half-Wendigo.”

Maganom rubbed his palms together,
speaking with a sly voice.

“A Wendigo is a repulsive half-Yokai, rejected by masters due to its foul smell and rough nature. As a fighter, it's a poor choice, but its strength and abilities are adequate. Heh, the prince’s insight is truly excellent.”

Silent Swordmaster, along with the Boogeyman, Maganom, and the Half-Wendigo,
now formed a group of four.
Though not a full team,
Ha Eun-eung recognized the individual strength and distinctive personalities of each member,
unlike the slave gladiators with neck collars she had seen in the streets.

“These are the gladiators I’ve gathered. Though the team isn’t full, they’ll definitely help achieve Mother’s goal.”

Ha Eun-eung thought to herself,
‘I didn’t expect much, but surprisingly, the prince is quite capable. His popularity... no, is it charisma?’

He wasn’t just an irresponsible child,
but a tragic prince with a great deal of capability,
and the evaluation of the Yokai King’s illegitimate son in her mind had risen.
If he could once again demonstrate his charisma and unite his gladiators,
her opinion of him would surely improve even more.

Noticing her gaze,
the prince blushed, a little embarrassed, and hesitantly asked,

“Did you like the selection?”

Ha Eun-eung nodded, showing her approval of the prince’s recruitment ability.
Though the others were unremarkable,
the Boogeyman was a formidable opponent in the arena,
so this team would definitely be helpful.

“Then, may I ask one small favor?”

A request.
The constant probing of weak points.
Ha Eun-eung, despite her slight frown,
felt a pang of weakness in not rejecting him outright.
In the end, she nodded.

“Then, I humbly ask for your approval.”

With a nervous, sweaty face,
the prince gathered his courage and spoke.

“I heard from my father, the Yokai King, that my mother struggled to manage her long hair, so she used a jade hairpin to help tie it.”

Ha Eun-eung, who had initially grown wary,
realized with a start that he was offering her a jade hairpin.
She stared down at it, stunned.

“Your mother’s ebony-like hair must not be harmed in these rough battles. I worry for her, and... I offer you this hairpin.”

A gift.
An earnest expression from a man, not a woman.

“If you would accept this hairpin...”

But as soon as she began accepting it,
she wondered if she was merely becoming a replacement for the Yokai King’s lost mother.
Could she truly accept being a mere symbol of someone’s replacement?

“...”

Ha Eun-eung couldn’t make a decision so quickly,
and as time passed without her accepting the hairpin,
the prince’s expression began to harden.